Chopin, Frederic : Scherzo no.4 E-Dur Op.54
Work Overview
Publication Year：1843
First Publisher：Breitkopf und Härtel
Dedicated to：Janne de Caraman
Instrumentation：Piano Solo
Genre：scherzo
Total Playing Time：11 min 00 sec
Copyright：Public Domain
Commentary (3)
Author : Oshima, Kazumi
Last Updated: March 3, 2022
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Author : Oshima, Kazumi
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) composed four independent works titled Scherzo during his lifetime: Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20; Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31; Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39; and Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54.
Scherzo, derived from the Italian word meaning "joke" or "humor," began to be used in music history from the 1780s onwards as a middle movement in multi-movement forms such as symphonies and chamber music.
The musical characteristics of the scherzo often follow those of the minuet, which was frequently inserted as a middle movement, including a 3/4 time signature and a lively tempo. They are often written in A-B-A ternary form or compound ternary form, with the middle section (trio) featuring a melody contrasting with the preceding and following musical ideas. Following this tradition, Chopin also incorporated scherzos into works such as his Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35; Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 58; and Piano Trio, Op. 8.
In addition to these, Chopin attempted to complete the scherzo as an independent work, opening new ground in the history of piano music. It can be said that the scherzo is one of the musical genres conceived by Chopin as a standalone piano work and perfected as an work of art.
While the four scherzos are fundamentally structured around a fast tempo, 3/4 time, and ternary form, their forms are more complex, with some approaching sonata form. Emotional and expressive qualities, along with the demand for advanced technique, are also among their primary characteristics.
Chopin did not explicitly state the specific meaning or philosophy behind these scherzos. However, their titles and the clear "light and shadow" structure of the pieces hint at a connection to the literary and artistic trends of the 19th century.
In the late 18th century, dissatisfaction with the traditional absolutist regimes grew across Europe, leading to an awakening of "freedom." Innovative activities flourished in the realm of expression, and in literature, works freely and explicitly expressing emotions such as love, ideals, disappointment, and disillusionment began to be written. Attempts to define humor and scherzo also took place within this context.
Literary figures across Europe offered various views on the meaning of humor. For example, the German writer Jean Paul (1763-1825) stated:
"For humor, there is no individual foolishness or individual fool; there is only foolishness and a foolish world. (...) If man looks down upon this world from an unearthly world, this world appears petty and vainly bustling. If, as humor does, one measures the infinite world by the small scale of this world and connects it with the small world, laughter arises, and in this laughter, there is still a certain pain and a certain greatness."
The human being, laughing and crying between two opposing emotions or two dimensions, is one of the main themes of scherzo in the Romantic era. It is even a strong irony directed at humans who cannot escape the reality steeped in desire, despite the beautiful world shown by God.
These words will be a great hint in understanding Chopin's scherzos. The four scherzos prove that Chopin understood the philosophy of scherzo, which literary figures pondered more deeply than anyone else.
Scherzo No. 4 in E major, Op. 54
Presto, 3/4 time. Conceived in 1842 and completed in 1843. This work dates from Chopin's peak as a composer and is dedicated to Mademoiselle Jeanne de Caraman. Other works written around the same time include Ballade No. 4, Op. 52, and Polonaise No. 6, Op. 53. While producing one masterpiece after another, Chopin was plagued by ill health and mental depression. In particular, the deaths of his childhood teacher Wojciech Żywny (1756-1842) and close friend Jan Matuszyński (1809-1842) were devastating blows to Chopin. After recuperating in Nohant at George Sand's arrangement, Chopin returned to Paris once his health improved, resuming lessons and composition in the autumn.
Scherzo No. 4 was conceived amidst such difficulties, yet its style does not betray the personal suffering. It is the only scherzo among the four in a major key and is filled with an overall bright, happy atmosphere. The work stands out for Chopin's characteristic elegance and refined beauty of detail, with expressions of anger, conflict, pain, and lamentation, seen in the previous three pieces, being diluted.
It takes an ABA form, but the structure is more complex and free, also resembling sonata form. In the first subject section, a leisurely, calm melody alternates with quick passages reminiscent of laughter, presenting a noble, light, and highly flexible musical character. Thus, while Scherzo No. 4 differs in musical character from the other three, to borrow Niecks' words, it is powerfully compelling in its exquisite harmony, cunning melodies, and agile rhythms.
Charles Willeby also points out the similarity of the ascending phrase in measure 17 to the opening of Ballade No. 3. He further states that "the absolute value of this work lies not so much in the originality of its ideas as in the exquisite treatment of detail."
In the middle section, which unfolds led by a recitative-like passage, a beautiful cantabile sings a poignant and sweet melody. This melody, reminiscent of a lovers' conversation, slowly ascends across a wide range of notes, accompanied by undulating quick passages, only to be swept away the moment it reaches the high register. As a double pedal point heightens the tension, the music transitions to the recapitulation. Here, as in the initial first subject section, the first subject displays diverse expressions through repeated modulations. The rapid modulations, which seem to deceive and mock the listener, are a kind of trick employed by Chopin, revealing the work's character, which combines sincerity and playfulness. In the coda, powerful octaves fragmentarily repeat the first subject, and quick scales leave a brilliant sound, bringing the piece to a close.
References
(※All citations in the main text are based on these sources.)
- ショパン スケルツォ集: New Edition 解説付（大嶋かず路 解説）、東京：音楽之友社、2015年。
- Huneker, James, Chopin: The Man and His Music, New York: Dover Publications, 1966.
- Leichtentritt, Hugo, Frédéric Chopin, Berlin: Harmonie, 1905.
- Tomaszewski, Mieczysław, Chopin: Człowiek, Dzieło, Rezonans, Kraków: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 2005.
- Willeby, Charles, Frederic François Chopin, London: Sampson low, Marston & Company, 1892.
- The 18th Chopin Piano Competition/Compositions https://chopin2020.pl/en/compositions
Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Last Updated: July 1, 2008
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Author : Asayama, Natsuko
Chopin's Lyrical and Narrative Styles
There are several ways to observe the styles Chopin employed in his piano works, but one possible classification is into lyrical and narrative styles. Representative examples of the former are the Nocturnes and Mazurkas, while typical examples of the latter are the Ballades and Scherzos.
In lyrical compositions, individual phrases and melodic figures are often presented in a list-like manner, with very loose connections, whereas in narrative compositions, one can perceive a sense of kishōtenketsu (introduction, development, turn, conclusion) within a single piece. The clear dramatic quality arises, first, because the harmonic progressions are distinct, and particularly because the standard dominant-tonic progression (the part that moves from "turn" to "conclusion") is well-maintained. Furthermore, individual motives may develop through techniques such as variation, inversion, repetition, and expansion; even without the elaborate workmanship found in Viennese Classical sonatas, multiple themes are intricately combined to construct the piece.
In other words, works with a narrative structure, such as the Ballades, Scherzos, Barcarolle, and Bolero, create a dynamic and dramatic musical time that progresses inevitably from beginning to end, and these elements are key points for appreciation. (As an aside, in lyrical works, the listener's ear is allowed to wander within a kind of musical space, where the music lingers while subtly transforming, with no clear sense of return or progression.)
Now, where do the differences lie between the Ballades and Scherzos, of which four pieces each remain?
It is abundantly clear from the music itself that these genres are closely related within Chopin's oeuvre. Moreover, it seems almost impossible to clearly distinguish between the two genres based on their form. One reason is that these are genres unique to Chopin; even examining the traditions of the genres from which they are thought to derive reveals nothing that connects the two. However, even if they cannot be distinguished by their external musical form, their respective musical content, or rather, the content of their "narratives," differs somewhat.
"Scherzo" means "joke" in Italian, and traditionally referred to a bright, light, small-scale piece in a simple form.Beethoven incorporated it into the third movement of his sonatas as a substitute for the minuet, it was still given an extremely rapid and humorous character. Chopin's Scherzos, at first glance, seem to completely contradict this tradition, being dark, serious, and large in scale. However, when compared to the Ballades, it becomes clear how much humor the Scherzos actually contain. In all four Scherzos, more than one extremely rapid and leggiero motive appears, interjecting at various points. Furthermore, intense dynamic contrasts are specified in each section.
Such techniques are almost absent in the Ballades. Each motive and each note is bound by its preceding and succeeding context, allowing no deviation. Somber themes appear one after another, accumulating to form a torrent, ultimately leading to a catastrophic conclusion. This is in contrast to the Scherzos, which resolve this kind of stress with lighthearted melodic figures and almost comical contrasts.
It is also worth noting that all four Ballades are written in compound duple meter, while the Scherzos are in triple meter, which could be considered their only external distinguishing feature. However, since most of the Scherzos form a phrase in two measures throughout, they still contain the strong driving force of duple meter.
Formal Characteristics of Chopin's Scherzos
All Scherzos adopt an A-B-A form. This follows the scherzo as a substitute for the minuet movement, as used by Haydn and Beethoven. However, the appearance of two contrasting themes in the A section, and the almost complete repetition of the first half in the second half of the A section, indicate an inclination towards sonata form. Furthermore, a brilliant coda, including a stretto, further increases the scale of the piece and elevates its dignity.
Viewed in this way, Chopin's Scherzos can be considered as inheriting and elaborating upon the formal stature of the third movement of the piano sonata perfected by Beethoven. On the other hand, in his own Piano Sonatas No. 2 and No. 3, he took a step away from the Viennese Classical tradition by placing the scherzo in the second movement. Especially in No. 2, Op. 35, a large-scale scherzo with multiple themes is employed. Chopin probably did not write the Scherzos as character pieces and name them as such. Rather, they were a stepping stone for his own sonatas.
Specifics of Scherzo No. 4
In the Fourth Scherzo, the principle of "contrast" is not as intense. Rather, the themes in all sections are agile and bright. Although it is of an unparalleled scale at 966 measures, from the musical affect, it well preserves the original meaning of the word "scherzo."
The middle section of this piece is a paraphrase of the opening theme and begins like the development section of a sonata form. Furthermore, the recapitulation (from measure 601) features a heavier accompaniment, increasing the textural density compared to the exposition, but it is an almost complete repetition. In other words, it can be said that while employing a leggiero theme unsuited to traditional sonata form, it adopts a scheme very close to sonata form.
Author : Ooi, Kazurou
Last Updated: March 12, 2018
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Author : Ooi, Kazurou
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